LAND BIRDS. 381 



iiig sentiment for protection of all our insect eating birds it seems likely 

 that the species may regain its former numbers. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



This bird lias the general appearance of the Whippoorwill, together with the small bill 

 large eye, weak feet and pectinate middle claw; the bristles about the mouth, however, 

 are very small, the wings are long and pointed, and the tail is emarginate or somewhat 

 forked. 



Adult male: Upper parts black, more or less spotted or mottled with buff or rusty on 

 top of head, back and scapulars, and with whitish on the wing-coverts; sides and back of 

 neck with series of buffy spots forming imperfect stripes; a whitish line over the eye; a 

 broad v-shaped white collar on the middle throat; chin and lower throat blackish, spotted 

 with buff or white; rest of under parts narrowly and evenly barred with blackish and pure 

 or buffy white; primaries black, with a conspicuous white patch crossing most of them 

 about the middle and looking like a hole through the wing as the bird is seen flying 'over- 

 head; tail black or brownish-black, with five or six narrow and imperfect whitish cross- 

 bars and a broad pure white band near the end; iris dark brown. 



Adult female: Very similar to male, but the v-shaped collar buffy instead of pitre white, 

 the white wing-patch smaller, the white tail-band altogether wanting, and the under parts 

 more bviffy or rusty. Yoimg: Similar to female, but more mottled above' and less dis- 

 tinctly barred below. 



Length 9 to 10 inches; wing 7.30 to 8.25; tail 4.30 to 4.75. 



Family 48. MICRO PC) 1)11 ).K. Swifts. 

 (Only one species found in Michigan.) 



175. Chimney Swift. Chaetura pelagica (Linn.). (423) 



Synonyms: Swift, Chimney Swallow, Chinmey Sweep. — Hirundo pelagica, Linn., 1758. 

 — H. pelasgia, Linn. 1766. — Cypselus pelasgia, Aud. 



Plate XL and Figure 92. 



Known readily by its uniform sooty color, with slightly paler throat, 

 and the short stiff tail, each feather pointed with a strong sharp spine 

 (Fig. 92). 



Distribution. — Eastern North America, north to Labrador and the Fur 

 Countries, west to the Plains, and passing south of the United States in 

 winter at least to Jalapa, Mexico, and Cozumel Island. 



The Chimney Swift is an abundant summer resident throughout the 

 entire state, apparently as numerous along the Lake Superior shore as in 

 the southern counties. It arrives from the south the last 

 of April or first of May, coming usualh^ in flocks of con- 

 siderable size and attracting attention at once by its sharp 

 twittering, the only note commonly uttered by the bird. 



It begins to nest soon after its arrival, but apparently 

 few eggs are laid before the last of May or the first of Juno. 

 We have records of fresh eggs on June 8 and June 17 in 

 Kalamazoo county, and there is little doubt that the bird ^. g., 



rears a second brood in most parts of the state during July. Tail of chimney 

 While it nests most commonly in chimneys, placing the nest ^^'"" 



from five to twenty feet from the top, it is also known to nest somewhat 

 frequently on the insides of barns, and less often still in hollow trees. The 

 latter method undoubtedly was once its universal custom, and probably 



